It's Called Courtship
by Yochanan Suishoukin
Summary: Rose thinks it's high time Scorpius is introduced formally to her parents. No one involved is thrilled. 2: As a former teenager, I can safely say that they will break up. As a former teenager who marries her first love, I'll join you to say 'bugger', Ron
1. It's Just A Dinner!

_**It's Just A Dinner**_

* * *

It was a very bright day. The summer solstice had barely passed but already it felt as though it was the middle of August—or maybe someone had casted a Heating Charm on the Hogwarts Express. Or maybe the rumours of Muggles altering the ecology of the world were true. It was bright and fiery, period.

Scorpius felt far from it. He felt he was riding a train to his doom, actually.

The compartment was too silent. Rose had kicked Albus and the Scamander triplets out earlier, telling them to play Exploding Snap somewhere else or, better yet, give James a heart-warming graduating gift of the explosive and/or beastly kind. It had been a rather long time ago, so apparently they chose the former. A pity, because Scorpius did think that the eldest Potter deserved something for all the things he had put Scorpius through.

Scorpius lowered his book, supposedly to talk to Rose, but stopped when he saw her nodding off. Sunlight shone on her, and he thought she looked like an angel in a Muggle movie Teddy had shown him once. Except that the angel had been very short and cuddly, had a waist-length blonde hair, was constantly smiling, and had honey-laced voice.

In retrospect it might have been better, because Rose would just be his personal angel and he wouldn't have to worry about any competition.

Well, maybe except for Mr. Weasley. The way Albus had described him made it seem like the man had had lessons about guarding from a sphinx somewhere.

The mere thought of it brought back the listless feeling in him and not for the first time he wondered what the hell he was doing.

"You've been staring at me for five minutes now."

He blinked back to reality. Rose was staring back at him, completely awake, her head tilted slightly. He simpered. "Nothing. Just...are you sure it's going to be alright?" He averted his eyes to the window, pretending that the view was fascinating. He truly didn't want to see her being disappointed of him. He could practically see her rolling her eyes and giving him one of those Slytherin-only looks.

There was a brief silence before she replied, "My parents value honesty, Scorpius. They would be more incensed if I told them about us in about a year rather than right now. I still think that my dad's going to be slightly disagreeable because I've started it without his permission—"

"Won't it be better if it's later than sooner?" He turned back to her. "I mean, to show him that we are serious and this is more than just a crush."

She did give him that look of hers, the one reserved for ninnies. "There's nothing horrible about them. Upfront and blunt sometimes, but what you see is pretty much what you get. They're fair, really; they're all for giving people second chances." She rolled her eyes. "Look, they're Gryffindors, you should at least have an idea what they're like."

It was a bad analogy since nearly every Weasleys he knew had been in Gryffindor at some point and they were mostly twats, but then she knew that, so she might have been referring to Scorpius instead. It still made no sense, because Scorpius still felt he should have been a Ravenclaw, or even a Hufflepuff.

Rose crinkled her nose. "Don't give me that look. I should be asking you that—what about your father?"

He half-shrugged, trying to make it seem like it was no big deal. "Okay. I told him I'd be staying at Teddy's for the night—he's not exactly pleased, but." He smirked at himself. "It's really his fault he had to go all the way to Japan tonight." His smirk slipped off and he felt his face forming a frown again. "Though maybe I'm better off there—"

"—Really, now?" The sneer returned as Rose's tone descended into the one he had heard her use to boss the Slytherins around. "I'm beginning to wonder if you're as serious as I am."

His heart skipped a beat—_how could she say that, after all this time?!_—as he found himself blundering with words. "No! It's not—that's—Rose, I—"

"Low blow, I know." She huffed, though her expression softened. He still was a bit wary. "I'm sorry." She sounded sincere as she slouched slightly in her seat. He felt like the biggest Flobberworm on Britain. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure this is the right step either. So when you said..." She trailed off, though he knew what was meant. It made him ache that he had made her think he was bailing out on her.

Scorpius Malfoy was the biggest flea in the world, no question. _Fix it, dummy._

"Rose." He was pleased that his voice was quite steady. She looked at him, mildly curious. Suddenly a lump formed in his throat. He swallowed. "It's probably just me overreacting, because your father can't be that bad, can he?" He tried to smile; hopefully it wouldn't come across as a wince. "I mean, you're far from bad."

She didn't look convinced, and neither did he, albeit for a very different reason. What if Mr. Weasley decided that he looked too much like his father and grandfather and therefore deserved a term in Azkaban for Imperio-ing Rose? What if Mr. Weasley wouldn't even talk to him, or sent him home just as soon as they reached platform 9¾? What if Rose was forbidden from talking to Scorpius for the rest of their lives?

The what-ifs lasted for the rest of the journey. Having a mind like his was truly more of a torture than a blessing at times.


	2. Shake the Right Hand

_**Shake the Right Hand**_

Ron was agitated despite the straight face he had worn and standing upright during the short time they were waiting on the platform. It didn't take nineteen years of marriage to notice that his jaws were overly tight, or that every once in a while his fist would twitch. Hermione couldn't exactly blame him, given what they were waiting for.

Even Harry had noticed. He tapped Ron's shoulder. Ron turned, alarmed and ready to aim his wand at Harry. "Alright there, mate?" Harry asked as Ginny gave Hermione a questioning glance. Hermione pursed her lips in response, jerking her head slightly at Ron.

"I'm fine, nothing wrong." He wrung his hands together. "Absolutely fine."

Harry absently nodded, returning his gaze to the railway. "Yeah, can't blame you there," he said sympathetically, "If it's Lily—"

Ron's eyes widened. "Yes! She's too young for dating!"

Harry looked taken aback. "Who're we talking about now?"

Ron gestured wildly to the railway, where the Hogwarts Express would appear from in a few minutes. "Rosie! My Rosie is just seventeen—"

"Eighteen this year," Hermione mumbled exasperatedly. Ron had probably thought that if he kept misremembering Rose's age she would not age.

"—and she's already bringing home a boy!" Ron continued, unperturbed.

"His parents are away, Ron; they couldn't pick him up."

"Anyway, if seventeen is young, then what is old?" It was Ginny, raising one casual eyebrow at her brother. Hermione was forcibly reminded of the fight they had had, ages ago, over Ginny dating Dean Thomas. She winced mentally—they were starting to get old alright.

"Seventy," Ron answered, aided by Harry nodding, "No less than that."

Ginny and Hermione exchanged a look, both resolving not to dignify that statement with a comment.

Unfortunately, Ron went on. "And what's that rubbish about Malfoy? A Malfoy, of all people!"

"Which one?" Harry asked, surprised.

Ginny threw him a sharp look. "Scorpius Malfoy, dear. Al's friend, the one that stays at our house during the summer two years ago, remember?"

A look of recognition dawned on Harry. "Oh, that one." He turned to Ron. "He's polite and quite humble, you know, nothing like his dear old dad at all."

Ron gave him a dark look. "Let's see you being calm when he's after Lily."

Whatever reply Harry might have made was drowned by a loud whistle emitted by the Express. Some of the parents seemed startled and excited when the red train entered the platform—_must be Muggle parents of the first-years._

Hermione stole a glance at Ron, who had once again adapted his stony look. Hermione took his hand and squeezed it. He looked at her quizzically. She muttered, "Look at it this way, it's her first one, and at this stage there's a possibility of it being a mere fling."

Ron looked unconvinced, and to be honest so did she—because this was Rose and Rose never brought up any of her flings to them (to the point that Hermione believed Rose had never actually had a fling).

Around them parents and children had met, causing the noise level and crowdedness of the platform to increase. Hermione could no longer see the doors on the Express and none of them wanted to jostle through the crowd—and it was unnecessary anyway since Rose was a humanoid matchstick, just like Ron.

Ron seemed to have forgotten about this fact for, after minutes of futility, he said, "Where are they?"

Harry frowned. "I have a bad feeling—stay here, Ginny." Before she could protest he had disappeared into the crowd of re-united families.

Ginny just folded her arms and huffed. "For Merlin's sake, that James..."

"Maybe they just have their path clogged by all these people," Hermione offered, "Or maybe they're the victim."

It did nothing to alleviate Ginny's scowl. "It's probably something that he brings to himself, then. How's that different?"

"There they are!" Ron exclaimed, pointing at a direction from which Rose and Hugo emerged with their luggage in tow and their expression none too cheerful. Rose's thinned lips turned into a grin when Ron gave her a hug, while Hugo stiffened and stepped away when Hermione tried to do the same to him.

"Mum!"

She said, "If you still want to call me that, then you'll allow me to hug you."

He pouted slightly, though he didn't flinch when she patted his head with a bit more force than necessary — her arm stretched perfectly straight. Ron was right: the kids did grow up too fast.

Blinking away her suddenly moist eyes, she continued, "There. I don't carry a sex-linked disease with me, do I?"

He ducked his head slightly, though Hugo was soon whisked into a one-armed bear hug by Ron. Hermione turned and managed to wrap her arms around the small of Rose's back.

"Did they feed you Skele-Gro in Hogwarts?" She asked playfully once they broke from the embrace.

Rose grinned, making her resemblance to Ron even more striking. "Funny, they asked the same about you and Dad."

"Lovely," Ginny said — Hermione had forgotten that Ginny was still standing alone, "but what happened to your cousins?"

Rose's smile immediately disappeared, while Hugo jerked his thumb over his shoulder and said curtly, "Ask him. Ask Malfoy."

The three adults whirled around. Standing a bit farther from their family, surrounded by luggage and noisy owls was Malfoy. He was as pale as ever; his chin was still ridiculously pointed, and he was as small as she remembered him to be in their fifth year. Hermione's stomach churned, remembering the last time she had seen the teenage Malfoy.

Yet at the same time the one standing before her was different from the one in her memories. This Malfoy's hair was a darker shade of blonde; it was slick but long, tied in a neat ponytail that reached slightly past his shoulders. Malfoy's cheekbone was not as sunken as this one's, nor did his nose seem as flat. Most of all, the Malfoy in her memories was perpetually smirking; this Malfoy seemed apprehensive and respectful towards them; his olive eyes were definitely warmer and betrayed much more than his father's ever would.

Rose cleared her throat, strode to Malfoy's side with two long steps, grabbed his hands (Ron growled) and said firmly, "Mum, Dad, this is Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius, that's my mother and father — though there is no way you couldn't have known by now."

Hermione stole a glance at Ron, who had frozen with a mostly-unreadable expression. Hoping that he wouldn't act on his impulses, Hermione took a tentative step forward and offered her hand. Scorpius seemed surprise, though he took her hand a bit too eagerly and shook it in a surprisingly firm way.

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Granger," he said with an even voice — she had been expecting a drawl so it surprised her slightly, "We've studied recent history at Hogwarts, obviously, and you were mentioned quite frequently—I especially find it fascinating that it takes a thousand years and a Muggle-born like you to revise our system." A split second later, he added, "Er, I didn't mean—"

"You can call me Hermione, Scorpius," she said warmly, no longer seeing Draco Malfoy. In fact, she might actually like this young man. "Rose has told me many things of you. Didn't you get twelve O.W.L.s? Quite impressive, I should say."

"Uh…thanks," he mumbled, the faintest hint of pink glowed on his cheeks. Beside him, Rose grinned in amusement while Hugo snorted audibly.

Ron cleared his throat, so Hermione stepped back, watching anxiously as the stony Ron engaged Scorpius, who eyed him warily. Ron looked at him appraisingly from top to bottom before resting his eyes on the linked hands of Rose and Scorpius, who immediately released it with an almost apologetic look and offered his hand to Ron instead. Ron glowered at it, though he did accept it rather stiffly.

"Scorpius, is it?" Ron said slowly.

Scorpius nodded as Rose, and Hermione, watched with increasing apprehension.Even Ginny couldn't pretend she was still looking for her family.

Hermione was suddenly aware that people were staring at them (though how it hadn't happened when Harry was still with them was out of her grasp), that the noise level around them had increased. There was a familiar voice that kept growing louder.

"— handling Lily! Don't tell me that's alright."

"Of course it's alright, you ponce!"

James, Lily, Harry, and Albus approached them; the former two were in a heated argument with a very tired Harry refereeing between them and Albus trying to be as unnoticeable as usual.

"While I support your sentiment, James, hexing people is always wrong—" Harry looked at Ginny, noticing the tense air around them. "What's wrong?"

"Scorpius!" Albus chirped, a pleasant surprise written all over his face. "You prat, I thought you said —"

James was quicker. "What are you doing here, you snake?" James's hand was already going to his jeans pocket, where his wand stuck out. Rose's left hand too casually drifted to her jeans pocket while the other one was still intertwined.

Hermione wondered if she should have hers ready as well.

Scorpius, after a brief look at James's wand, jutted his chin out; Hermione had a rude flashback to the first time she had met Draco Malfoy. "I do not have to answer to you," he drawled.

Ron opened his mouth, though Harry beat him to it by getting closer to Scorpius. This threw the boy off guard as he blinked owlishly. Harry eyed him critically. He casually offered his hand. "How are you, Scorpius?" He greeted casually.

"Oh, er, I'm fine, Mr. Potter," Scorpius replied, shaking Harry's hand with a sheepish expression on his face. James looked revolted.

"Harry, Scorpius," Harry chided, motioning for them to walk, "I hope you don't mind if we continue this on, say, the parking lot."

Hermione's wry imagination pictured tomorrow's headline: _Harry Potter, He-Who-Conquered-The-Dark-Lord, Vanquishes the Last of the Death Eaters _or maybe, because they did look like it, the crowd was readying themselves for a fight (not even Ron's influence had fixed that sad part of her, unfortunately). "Yes. Come along, Ron," she grabbed Ron's arm, pulling him towards the gate to the Muggle part of King's Cross Station. "You too, Scorpius."

"What-what-what?" Hugo blurted, following his parents. "What's Malfoy doing?"

Ron's eyebrows contracted. "Good question."

Hermione shooed them as the guards of the wall greeted them a bit too friendly (Harry was on the verge of rolling his eyes) and arranged for them coming out of the platform so that the Muggles wouldn't notice. It was getting easier, actually, because the Muggles had invented more and more apparatuses that would distract them even while walking. Hermione and Ron were the first ones, blending in rather easily with the Muggles — robes, after Muggle's fashion revolution which made costume-playing as fictional characters considerably normal, were no longer a problem. Wands were still a bit problematic, though, so when Ron mumbled _"Muffliato" _with a minute flick of his wand she almost automatically chided him; however, the situation did call for it.

"I don't like this," he said without moving his lips—yet another reminder of his efficiency as an Auror—"He's a Malfoy, Hermione. I don't care if he's in Gryffindor or if he's a good bloke or, Merlin forbid, if Harry likes him. I don't."

She looked over her shoulders. Hugo was skulking right behind them while Rose was walking right between James and Scorpius. "You haven't talked to him much."

"I don't need to. It's in their gin-tic."

"It's not. Look at your own children." They soon came into the parking lot, where Ron stopped momentarily to remember their car's location. She stopped herself from reminding him—Ron said it'd be a good way to keep training his brain.

After Ron had snapped his fingers and led them into the B section, he said, "I don't see Rose or Hugo joining a Neo-Death Eater camp."

Hermione sighed. "Okay, wrong analogy. James Sirius Potter."

Ron snorted. He didn't say anything as they located their car—titanium-coloured Toyota Vios 2015, perfectly tuned for running on magic and some other functions that did not involve flying—and lifted the Muffliato spell. "Give me your bag, Hugo."

Hugo had a slight pout on his face, probably from being ignored, which made Hermione feel a little guilty. "I can do it myself," he huffed. With a loud grunt he tried to lift the bag by himself. It didn't get too far off the ground. James found it funny for some reasons, though Harry shut him up with a "Can you please help Lily, James? Without magic: we're with Muggles here." Ron finally took pity on Hugo and helped him; he didn't even ask Rose before storing hers, though he didn't seem to even acknowledge that Scorpius was going to be riding in their car.

Speaking of the boy, he was standing, slightly wide-eyed, right in front of the exhaust pipe and even sticking his head slightly into the trunk's door's range. Rose tugged him away from it, giving him the barest amused look toned with what she could only describe as teenage love. Even Ron didn't miss it, for his expression soured again.

"Never seen a car before?" Ron scoffed. Scorpius averted his attention to Ron, still wide-eyed. "Car. Muggles' four-wheeled, everlasting, choice of travelling. Of course, I can't blame you for never seeing it before."

Scorpius's fists clenched while Rose scowled at her oblivious father. Hermione pinched Ron's arm. "For heavens' sake, Ron," she hissed, giving Ron a warning look.

"You know, Dad," Rose said pointedly, "Scorpius takes Muggle Studies at Hogwarts."

Ron blinked. "He did?"

"Well, yes." The Malfoy stared impassively at Ron. "I know what cars are. I was just fascinated by the magical enhancements you've put on yours." He gestured to the open trunk. "Undetectable Extension Charm, I gather?"

Hermione, impressed, answered in the affirmative. "Come now, let's move." Scorpius didn't budge, still glancing cautiously at Ron. Hermione looked at Rose, who took the hint. She nudged Scorpius and whispered something in his ear that convinced him at last to shuffle towards the door.

Ron poked Hugo, who still looked unhappy. "Get in the car now," Ron whispered urgently, lightly shoving Hugo to the other passenger's door. Hugo, though bewildered, obeyed. "What?" He asked, for Hermione was giving him an intense glare.

"He has done nothing wrong," she answered briskly.

Ron looked revolted. "Don't you see his face? It's _his _face. Nothing good can come out of a family of Death Eaters, and let's face it, upbringing matters. Malfoy's not going to suddenly pop out a decent kid, not with the twisted values his inbred family has! Poisonous toads don't breed green tadpoles."

Inside the car, the children (actually two adults and one teenager, now) were visibly wondering what took them long. She took a deep breath and replied, "At least have a trust in your own daughter. If she likes him enough to introduce him to us, I think that we can at least not embarrass her too much."

Ron grumbled under his breath.

"And if he turns out as rotten as his family," Hermione continued, shrugging, "I'll even join you in hexing him."


End file.
